1 Peter 1:10-11 “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.”

Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, and who doesn’t know this better than children? For weeks now youngsters have been dreaming about the packages they will find under the tree Christmas morning, and the hopes and expectations build as the day approaches.

I remember as a teenager my younger siblings tiptoeing into my room to wake me up early. Together we would sneak into the living room to peek under the tree. We would curl up and watch the lights twinkle and we would dream while waiting for the day to begin. That was one of my favorite parts of the special day, and it’s probably why you children could always get me up Christmas morning before Dad.

This natural tendency of eagerly waiting for gifts started many years ago. Throughout the Old Testament God inspired prophets to write about a gift that He would send to earth. Soon after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden God promised that He would send a Savior to restore humanity to a right relationship with Him. The prophets foretold the birth of the Messiah and the suffering that He would endure. They spoke of details of this heavenly King that only the Father could reveal. They foreshadowed His love, His mission, and the new hearts all mankind would receive if they believed in Him.

These inspired men prophesied of the grace that would come to the world through Jesus Christ, but they did not fully understand all that the gift would offer or when it would come. They made careful searches and inquiries of Scripture seeking to figure out the Who, the what, and the when of the promised events, but that was only for God to know. Finally they realized that, though they would be beneficiaries of the gift, their prophecies would not be fulfilled until a future time.

Today we can look back on the birth of King Jesus and His death and resurrection. The grace of God has appeared, in the person of God’s Son, bringing salvation to all men who believe. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. Now we can look forward to the time when He comes in glory to fully claim His Kingdom.

You are all older now. Maybe the presents under the tree don’t bring as much anticipation as they did when you were little. But there is so much to look forward to. God’s gift of salvation has come to the world in power. His grace gives us what we need to live for Him every day. And someday soon He will gloriously return to earth as the rightful King and all will be made right in the world. Now, that’s something to eagerly wait for!

Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

There’s a whole lot of “ticking” going on. Alone in our office I stepped out into the Event Center where our Clock & Watch Auction was set up. As I stood perusing the many timepieces that sat on the long tables, I noticed the ticking. It wasn’t very loud, but as I cocked my ear I could distinguish the soft pulse of hundreds of clocks beating out every second. “There certainly won’t be any excuse for the auction attenders to be late to their next appointments,” I chuckled. “Their timing should be perfect.”

Even if we all had hundreds of clocks reminding us of our commitments, there are times when humans are either early or late. It may be that heavy traffic slows us down or an unexpected phone call delays our departure. Other times we may underestimate the time it will take to arrive somewhere and end up sitting around waiting. It’s a good practice to be on time, but that doesn’t always happen.

Fortunately, for God’s children, we never have to worry about our Father being late or early. He is always right on time. There is never a circumstance that He has not foreseen. Each small detail is part of His plan to bring His will to pass at the appointed time.

This is so clear in the Christmas story. I find it fascinating the Old Testament prophets foretold details of the birth of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Micah 5:2 reveals that this newborn king would be born in the town of Bethlehem.

When you read the account of Christ’s birth in the book of Luke you see how all the pieces fell into place. At a certain time Caesar Augustus decided that he should take a census of all the Roman world. All of the citizens had to return to the city of their ancestors where they were required to register. Mary and Joseph took the journey to Bethlehem, and while they were there the baby Jesus was born.

Think about the impeccable timing that was needed for everything to work out right. Mary had to get pregnant at just the right time. Augustus Caesar had to issue the decree at the appropriate time to bring them to Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph’s trip had to be timed perfectly. They couldn’t get stopped by a traffic jam or they might have had the baby on the way.

God had planned the birth of His Son before the world even began, and He made sure that every detail fell into place. He accounted for every tick of the clock and not one event occurred too early or too late.

What a comfort it is to know that this same God has all the events of our lives ordered out carefully. When we are concerned about a problem we are experiencing, we never have to worry that God will show up late.

So if you are desperately waiting on an answer to prayer, consider the Christmas story. Even if there is a whole lot of “ticking” going on there is no need to worry. God is in time, on time, every time.

2 Peter 3:8 “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

A Mystery Clock

I am fascinated with clocks. When Great Grandma passed away I was thrilled to inherit her grandfather clock. I remember visiting her when I was little and listening to the chimes of the old clock striking every quarter hour. There was something intriguing about the consistent ticking and the slowly moving hands making their rounds.

This past week we sold a number of beautiful and unusual clocks for a family that obviously loved these old time pieces as well. Their grandfather clock would have hit most ceilings at 9’7″ tall. There were numerous wall clocks, banjo clocks, and a really neat Dickory Dickory Dock clock where the little mouse from the nursery rhyme moved upwards as the time passed. But the clocks that interested me the most were the “Mystery Clocks.” They were different from most and get their name because it is a mystery how they kept time.

9’7″ Grandfather Clock

Why all this fuss about clocks? Besides the beauty of the timepieces and their wide variety of unique construction, the time that these clocks keep governs our lives. Each strike of the hour reminds us that we live in 24-hour intervals. All our activity revolves around those sweeps of the clocks’ hands. When we are young time seems to pass slowly. But as we grow older the insistent ticking reminds us of how short life is and the urgency of completing our tasks.

God is different than we are. He does not live within the confines of time. To Him one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. As we scurry around, trying to complete all that needs to be done, we can often become frustrated when God seems to delay. His way of doing things can often be a mystery. Many times He doesn’t answer our prayers according to our time table.

Another interesting clock

As we seek answers for why the ungodly prosper, it may seem that these unbelievers are getting away with their sin. They mock the promise that the Lord will come back, yet God does not seem to respond. But God will do what He says in His Word even if it is not according to our time table. His delays reveal His patience by giving all the world opportunities to repent and turn to Him. In His time He will bring to pass all that He has promised.

God does not need a clock to regulate His activity. But if there is a timepiece in heaven, I think it is a mystery clock. Why? Because He works and acts beyond the confines of time as we know it. What is a thousand years to us may only be one day to Him. But like the mystery clock, though we may not understand the inner workings, we can trust Him to accomplish His will at the perfect time. He will never be late or early – He is always right on time.

Oh dear, Great Grandma’s clock is now chiming the hour. Another day is almost done!

The verse of the day is John 7:6. “So Jesus said to them, ‘My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune.'”

Timing is everything. Whether you are telling a joke, swinging a baseball bat, or asking a friend for a big favor there is the perfect moment to do it. All other times will not be as profitable. Why then are we always in such a rush? Our culture hates to wait and would rather jump into things, even good things, before the time is right.

Little by little Jesus had begun to reveal Himself to the people around Him. He had done numerous miracles healing the sick, turning water into wine, and providing bread for the swelling crowds. He had spoken about the eternal life He had come to bring and alluded to the mission His Father had sent Him to accomplish. But He had done all these things in unpopular places like Galilee.

The Feast of Booths was just around the corner. Jesus’ brothers saw this as the perfect opportunity for Jesus to show Himself publicly. If He went to Judea during this important celebration He could speak fluently and perform miracles in a popular place. His disciples, as well as the whole world, would then see Him and know who He was. To their way of thinking this is what anyone who wanted to be someone should do – get out of hiding and go public.

Jesus replied to their persistent prods, “Now is not the right time for me to go. You can go anytime you want because the world does not hate you like it does me. You go on ahead, but I will wait until the time is right.”

Jesus had come to the earth to die, and yet even He was dependent on the Father’s perfect timing. The date and hour for His impending crucifixion was set, and He would not do anything that would hurry or rush the plan of His Father.

If even the Son of God would wait patiently for the planned moment of His gracious ministry, why then do we want to rush everything. Even in our Christian work we tend to want to “get to it” instead of waiting for God to orchestrate the perfect time and place for us to be of use. So often we are about “doing” instead of “being,” and because of this we are unprepared for what our heavenly Father truly wants to accomplish through and in us.

It is great to have big dreams and desires – even grandiose plans for Christian ministry, but pray about everything. Seek to be like Christ. Don’t rush in, but wait for God’s guidance and His green light because if you want to be used mightily by the Almighty – timing is everything.

Love,
Mama

Welcome to Verses From Mama. Open these letters and receive words of truth, healing and hope written to all who long for a mama’s touch. ~Sandy